History

Established on January 1, 1928, the Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics began with John William Firor serving as the department head and sole faculty member. Several years later, in 1931, the State College of Agriculture merged with the University of Georgia to become the College of Agriculture. By 1939, the department had four faculty members and 21 students enrolled in agricultural economics. Upon John William Firor's retirement, Roy Proctor became the department head in 1951. The Master's in Agricultural Economics program was approved in 1948, and the Ph.D. program in 1970. The department continued to grow, and by 1979, there were 263 undergraduates in the sole major. In 1989, the department added the Agribusiness major. Throughout our history, the department has had numerous notable faculty and department heads, including J.W. Fanning, Stephen J. Brannen, Wen Williams, Fred White, and Josef Broder. 

Outside of the department, the college, and our home, Conner Hall, was changing. Originally constructed in 1908 and named the Agricultural Hall for the State College of Agriculture and the Mechanical Arts, the building received a new name (in 1919) and a new look. In 1975, Conner Hall had its entire interior removed, with 40-foot-tall posts supporting the original exterior shell so it could maintain its iconic Beaux-Arts Renaissance Revival exterior while providing a more modern and comfortable interior. The modern interior included removing the sole staircase and the second-floor entrance. 

In 1991, the College of Agriculture was renamed the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences to emphasize both Agriculture and the Environment. As a result of this broader teaching scope, the department started its third major in Environmental Economics in 1993, later renamed Environmental Economics and Management. In 2019, the department added its fourth undergraduate major, Hospitality and Food Industry Management. This major grew to over 100 students in just five years. As we head towards our centennial anniversary, the department continues its tradition of fulfilling the tripartite mission of teaching, research, and extension while looking towards an exciting future.